The authority of the Sunnah
In part 1 we discussed the importance of the topic. In this part we discuss the authority of the Sunnah. In Arabic the word hujjah حُجَّة means a proof, argument or an evidence. When we talk about the hujjatul sunnah or authority of the sunnah, it means that the sunnah is a legitimate evidence in Islamic law that leads to a ruling of Allah.
By sunnah, we mean the definition of the usooliyeen; the statements, selected actions, and tacit approvals of the Prophet, after he received revelation, but not including the Qur’ān . These were passed on to the Companions and captured in authentic hadith literature. Thus the term authority of the sunnah means the authority of the authentic hadith.
There are four types of proofs concerning the importance of the Sunnah: proofs from the Quran, proofs from the Sunnah, evidence from the statements of the Companions, and conclusions from the ulama of Islam. In this part we examine the proofs from the Quran. These are so numerous that they can be broken down into sub heading.
Obedience to the Prophet is obedience to Allah.
And whoever obeys the Messenger, verily obeys Allâh. (4:80) This verse is clear and explicit that obedience to the Messenger is nothing less than obedience to Allah. The ayah is similar to the hadith in which the Messenger stated: “Whoever obeys me, obeys Allah. Whoever disobeys me, disobeys Allah”. (Bukhari, Muslim).
“Indeed those who swear allegiance to you swear allegiance only unto Allah. The Hand of Allah is above their hand” Here Allah describes the making of an oath of allegiance to the Messenger of Allah as being the same as swearing allegiance to Allah.
Allah orders obedience to the Prophet and warns against disobedience
First Proof
“O you who believe. Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you, And if you differ in any matter, refer it to Allah and His Messenger, if you actually believe in Allah and the Last Day“. (Nisa: 59)
- “O you who believe” – this is not restricted to just the companions in his lifetime, but to all believers. If a person says he doesn’t have to follow the Messenger, then he is actually saying about himself, that he is not a believer.
- The verb “Obey” إطيعوا occurs twice. Allah uses the command “obey” not only for Himself but also for the Messenger. Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger. Thus Messenger is an independent source of obedience. The same verb does not precede “those in authority”. Hence obedience to them is conditional on obedience to Allah and His Messenger.
- Obedience to Messenger is separate in one sense from obedience to Allah. In other words it more than just obeying the Messenger in what he has conveyed from the Quran.
- Refer to Allah and His Messenger– to the Quran and to him directly in his lifetime, to his sunnah after his death. Hence the book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Messenger are placed together here and NOT refer to Allah, and then His Messenger.
- True believers refer their disputes not just to Allah, but to Allah and His Messenger
- If you differ in ANY matter. In other words whether the mater is to do with worship, belief, trade, marriage or any other.
- Ibn Qayyim mentions that the verse states refer it to Allah and His Messenger, and not refer it to Allah and to His Messenger. In other words, the word “to” is used only once. The reason for this is that whatever Allah decides is exactly the same as the decision of the Messenger of Allah. And whatever the Messenger of Allah decides is exactly the same as the decision of Allah. In other words, its one source.
Second set of Proofs
“And obey Allah and the Messenger so that you may be blessed” (3: 132) The phrase “Obey Allah and the Messenger occurs four times in the Quran. In addition, the phrase – Obey Allah and obey the Messenger occurs five times in the Quran. For example: “Say, Obey Allah and the Messenger. But if you turn away, he is only responsible for the duty placed on him, and you for that placed on you. If you obey him you shall be on right guidance. The Messenger’s duty is only to preach the clear message” (Al Noor: 54).
Allah also warns us that by disobeying the Messenger, we render our deeds vain. “O you who believe, Obey Allah and the Messenger and do not make your deeds vain” (Muhammad: 33)
Command to obey Allah always followed by a command to obey the Messenger
In every verse of the Qur’ān in which ‘obey Allah’ is stated, it is followed by a command to obey the Messenger. There is not a single verse in the Qur’ān in which obedience to Allah is mentioned alone. This to emphasise that obedience of Allah is not possible except through obedience to the Messenger and to remove even the remotest of excuse for ignoring the obedience to the Prophet. However there are verses in the Qur’ān in which obedience to the Messenger has been mentioned alone, i.e. without mentioning obedience to Allah. For example: “And if you obey him, you shall find the right path ” and “obey the Messenger so that you may receive Mercy” (Nur: 56). In this case, obedience to the Messenger implies obedience to Allah, as Allah states: “And whoever obeys the Messenger, indeed obeys Allah.
Reward and Punishment
There are many verses that state the reward for those who obey both Allah and His Messenger. “Those who obey Allah and His Messenger will be admitted to Gardens with rivers flowing beneath to abide therin for ever, and that will be the supreme achievement.
In addition, in three places in the Quran, Allah describes the fatal results of deciding to disobey Allah or His Messenger. For whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger, for them is Hell, they shall dwell therin forever. (al Jinn: 23) and The day that faces will be turned upside down in the Fire, they will say: Woe to us, Would that we had obeyed Allah and His Messenger” (Ahzaab: 66)
Allah has warned those who insist on going against the orders and commands that come from His Messenger. Let those who oppose his orders beware lest a calamity or painful punishment befall them (Noor: 63).
Accepting the Prophets decision and rulings is part of faith
First verse
“But no, by your Lord, they will not believe until they make you judge concerning that over which they dispute among themselves, and then find in themselves no discomfort from what you have judged and submit in [full] submission”. Nisā 4:65.
Yahya ibn Adam, in Kitab al-Kharaj, explains this verse as follows, "One of the Helpers from among the Banu Umayya had a dispute with Az-Zubayr concerning a creek (sharj) in the harra, and the Prophet said, 'Irrigate, O Zubayr, and then leave the water alone.' The man of the Banu Umayya said, 'Justice, O Prophet, even though he is the son of your aunts!' And the face of the Prophet changed so that the man knew that what he had said had hurt the Prophet. Then the Prophet said, 'O Zubayr shut off the water till it reaches the height of two ankles' - or he said - 'until it reaches the fence - and then let the water flow.' It was revealed then But no, by your Lord, they will not believe until they make you judge concerning that over which they dispute among themselves, and then find in themselves no discomfort from what you have judged and submit in [full] submission”.
It is clear that the Prophet’s ruling was not an application of an existing verse in the Quran but rather was his own judgment. Therefore the Quran declared that a true believer is the one who accepts the prophet’s judgment (ie the Sunnah) without having any doubts or concerns about it.
Allah begins this verse with an oath – which is quite common in the Quran. However in this verse, Allah swears by Himself and this is the greatest possible oath. So the order to completely accept the authority of the Prophet and the negation of faith who does not do this, is preceded by this might statement – But no, by your Lord.
Second verse
It is not befitting for a believing man or believing woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decided a matter that they should have any say in the matter and whoever is disobedient to Allah and His Messenger has certainly gone far astray (Al Ahzaab: 36) The verse was also revealed concerning a personal decision of the prophet. This ayah indicates that when it is confirmed that Allah ta’ala or His Messenger sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam have made a decision or have informed about a particular matter, then no believer, male or female, may choose differently. Any opposing choice would contradict Iman. Ash-Shafi’i reported a consensus among the scholars of the Sahabah, the Tabi’in, and their followers, that: “If a sunnah of Allah’s Messenger sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam becomes manifest to a person, he does not have any choice but to follow it, regardless of what other people say.”
By following the Messenger we obtain the love of Allah
“Say, If you love Allah, then follow me (fattabi’ūnī), Allah will love you and forgive you your sins“. The verb ittabi’ū, in the above verse is in the imperative form and means ‘to follow, to imitate, to pursue’. . Hence in order to achieve the love of Allah, one must follow the teachings of the Prophet.
The revealing of the hikmah.
The first verse
“Allah revealed to you the Book and the Hikmah and He taught you what you knew not, and great is the Grace of Allah unto you” Al-Nisā 4:113
“Solemnly recall Allah’s favour on you, and the fact that He sent down to you the Book and the Hikmah for your instruction…” Al-Baqarah 2:231
Shafi’ī explain that the letter ‘wa’ (meaning ‘and’) between Book and Hikmah in the verses above is: “a letter of conjunction in Arabic. This requires that the two parts it joins must be different otherwise the sentence will be redundant” (Siba’i,). Hence Allah revealed two separate things: the Book (i.e. the Qur’ān), and the Hikmah. What else was revealed to the Prophet other than the Quran . The answer can only be the Sunnah. Hence follows that the Hikmah in the above verses must mean sunna. The following ḥadīth also supports this view: “Verily I have been given the Book and something similar to it”. Abū Dawūd
The second verse
“He is it He Who has sent among the unlettered ones, a Messenger from among themselves, reciting to them His verses, purifying them, and teaching them the Book and the Hikmah. And verily, they had been before in manifest error”. Sūrah Jumu’ah 62:2. In this verse, four distinct roles are mentioned:
- Reciting the verses
- Purifying the believers
- Teaching of the Book.
- Teaching the Hikmah.
The first role of the Prophet was to recite the verses of the Qur’ān to the believers. About this point this is no disagreement or ambiguity. Secondly, the Messenger was to purify them from idolatry and sins. The third role of Messenger was “teaching the book”. This is mentioned separately from “reciting the verses”. Hence in addition to recitation of the verses of the Qur’ān, the Messenger was also ordered to teach the meaning of these verses. When the Prophet received revelation, he would convey this to his Companions and explain it through his statements and his actions.
Conclusion from Quranic verses
Based solely on texts of the Quran we can conclude that:
- It is Allah Himself who has ordered us to follow and obey the Prophet Muhammad. Thus this ruling is not from the itjithad of the scholars, but directly from the Quran itself.
- If anyone claims to follow the Quran, then he must also follow the Sunnah – as the Quran orders us to follow the Sunnah. Therefore it is inconsistent to claim to be following the Quran, and then not follow the Sunnah.
- Allah has severely warned against not following the Sunnah.
